Gate-operating mechanism.



No. 650,4!9. Patented May 29, I900.

' W. B. PITT.

GATE OPERATING MECHANISM.

(Application filed May 22, 1899.\

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet l.

0" 0 m 9 2 V. a M d e t n e t a nnT No. 650,4l9.

(Application filed May 22, 1899.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

Wneav 6JJ- UNITED STATES TATENT Fries.

WILLIAM R. PITT, OF NEW ROCHELLE, NEW YORK.

GATE-OPERATING MECHANISM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 650,419, dated May 29, 1900.

Application filed May 22, 1899. Serial No. 717,724. (No model.) v

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, \VILLIAM R. PITT, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of New Rochelle, in the county of Westchester and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Gate-0perating Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in gate-operating mechanism, and more particularly to mechanism adapted to use in connection with a gate supported intermediate of its edges to swingindependently of its supports at the same time that itis swung bodily together with its supports.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents the gate-operating mechanism applied to a gate at one end of a car and means for transmitting motion from the gate where the operating mechanism is located to a corresponding gate at the opposite end of the car to cause the gates to be simultaneously opened and closed and locked in their respective adjustments. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is an edge view of the gate, showing the position of its operating mechanism when the gate is closed. Fig. 4 is a similar view showing the position of the parts when the gate is opened. Fig. 5 is a top plan view showing in full lines the gate during the early part of its opening movement and in dotted lines theposition of the gate when it is about half open, and Fig. 6 is a similar View showing in full lines the position of the gate when it is full open.

The gates A and A (represented in Fig. 1) at the opposite ends of car are quite similar in their structure and in the manner in which they are supported, so that a description of one will serve as a description of both.

Referring to gate A, it is pivotally secured intermediate of its front and rear edges, as at a a, to a pair of supporting-armsB B, the latter extending laterally from and fixed to a rocking spindle O, secured in a vertical position in proximity to the wall or other abutment, in the present instance the front of the body of a carD. The rear edge of the gate has fixed thereto a slide E, adapted to. engage and slide freely along a track e, sec ured in a horizontal position to the end of the car or other abutment D. The top of the spindle O has fixed thereon an operating lever F, which when the gate is either in its open or closed position lies substantially in the same vertical plane with the swinging supporting-arms B B. The lever F has pivotally secured theretoin the present instance to its under sidea releasing-lever f, the inner end of which is engaged with a latch G, arranged to slide a limited distance up and down on the spindle C, and the opposite end of which extends into position to be grasped by the hand at the same time that the free end of the leverF is grasped. A spring f, interposed between the operating-lever F and the releasing-leverf, serves to hold the latch G normally lifted into position to engage a catch g or g on the top of the gate. When the gate is in closed position, the latch G will engage the catch 9 at the heel edge of the gate, and when the gate is in full-open position it will engage the catch g nearer the free edge of the gate. To accommodate itself to this purpose, the latch G is made doubleviz., with an engaging jaw g extending in each of two opposite directions from the spindle.

In order to make the gate-operating mechanism effective, I have arranged to coact therewith a catch H, fixed to a suitable support--in the present instance to the dashboard d of the car-in position to arrest the free edge of the gate j ust before it reaches its completed movement into a full-closed position. The catch is provided with a recess h for the reception of the front edge of the gate, and I preferably, though not necessarily, make the wall h on one side of the recess h a little higher than the wall on the opposite side.

In operation the gate receives its impulse to open and close through its supporting arms, the latter being set in motion by the lever F, attached to the spindle 0. Suppose, for instance, the gate be 'in its full-open position shown in Figs. 4 and 6. To close it, the lever F is grasped at or near its free end, the releasing-lever f moved to drop the latch G away from the catch 9, and the lever F then swung from the wall or front of the car outwardly. This will move the supportingarms 13 B outwardly, and hence the body of the gate, the inner edge of the gate accommodating itself to its movement by the slide E traveling along the track e t-oward the spindle O. This movement being continued, the free edge of the gate will just before it reaches its full-closed position be arrested by coming into engagement with the wall h of the catch H, as shown in full lines, Fig. 5. The further outward movement of the lever F will throw the inner or heel edge of the gate toward the spindle O, the free edge of the gate during this final movement being fulcrumed in the catch H, and the gate by this latter portion of its movement will be forced bodily in an edgewise direction into the recess 71 in the catch H. As the inner edge of the gate reaches its full-closed position its catch Q will engage the latchG and the gate will be locked in this position. In opening the gate the lever F is grasped in the same manner and drawn toward the operator, the first part of the movement serving to move the inner or heel edge of the gate along the track 6 until finally the free edge of the gate leaves the catch H and travels inwardly toward the wall into fullopen position, where it is locked by the catch g -engaging the opposite jaw on the catch G.

The catch I-I performs an important f unction, as it is essential that the free edge of the gate should be arrested at the proper point in order that the heel edge maybe forced into engagement with the latch, and it is also important that the free edge of the gate should have a bearing on which it may fulcrum during the initial movement of opening the gate.

Referring now more particularly to the strueturelshown in Fig. 1, the spindle C is provided with a bevel-gear 0, arranged to intermesh with a bevel-gear 2', fixed on a shaft I, which extends the length of the body of the carand is provided on its opposite end with a bevel-gear t", which intermeshes with a bevel-gear c on the spindle of the gate A. The gate A has no catches to hold it in its f ull-open orfull-closed position; but by means of the shaft I and the gears which connect the shaft with the spindles of the gates the gate A will be locked whenever the gate A is locked and released Whenever the gate A is released. Furthermore, the movement of the car to a full stop and that the car is not started until they are both closed.

It is to be understood that in fitting a car with these gates there would be a gate with opening' devices similar to A at the diagonally-opposite corner of the car, which would controla gate similar to A at the corner of the car diagonally opposite the gate A, so that the car might be, as is common, run either end foremost and the gates on the outer side under the control of the motorman in whichever direction the car is running.

It is obvious that changes might be resorted to in the form and arrangement of the several parts without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention. Hence I do not wish to limit myself strictly to the structure herein set forth; but

WVhat I claim is 1. The combination with a rocking spindle and means for suitably supporting it in an upright position, of gate supporting arms fixed to and extending laterally from the spindle, a gate pivotally secured to said arms intermediate of its edges, a lever engaged with the spindle for operating the arms and hence the gate and a guide for holding the rear edge of the gate in a plane substantially at right angles to its closed position during the opening and closing movements of the gate, sub stantially as set forth.

2. The combination with a rocking spindle,

9 gate-supporting arms fixed to thespindle, a gate pivotally secured to said arms and a guide for directing the inner edge of the gate along a predetermined plane, of a lever for rocking the spindle and a catch under the control-of the hand of the operator for lockin g and releasing the gate when in its opened and closed positions, substantially as set forth.

.3. The combination with gates arranged at a distance from one another, gate-supporting arms, one set for each gate, spindles, one for each gate, to which the said arms are respectively fixed and a conneetingshaft geared with said spindles, of means for rocking one of the spindles to simultaneously effect the opening and closing of the gates, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed my name, in presence of two witnesses, this 11th day of April, 1899.

IVILLIAM R. PITT.

IVitnesses:

FREDK. HAYNES, EDWARD VIESER. 

